PLDN Chapter 19
Chapter 19: Return to Waterfall. Restoring Old Memories and Making New Ones Sub-Entry 181: "Ultra Crew Institute is Underground Bound": *fwooosh* "Last stop. The summit of Mount Ebott. Everyone out." I mused as I opened the doors with that familiar mechanical sound. The E.L.B. Time Train. Big enough to house the group of backup I gave the O.K. to. The backup included the Rabbit Duo, Sally, Gadget, and Mitzi. Six of us. By far the largest group I'd taken here. I was going to have to be systematic how I approached this. The way Bunnie and Callista had remastered everyone's memories; inserting Mitzi and Gadget into the mix meant inserting memories that weren't there to begin with. Go ahead and say it. This was totally an Inception move. "You've all rehearsed your roles and gone through the checklist of what you can and can't say, right?" "C'mon. Give us credit, Spark-a-Matic." A thwap from Bunnie silenced Violet. "We are thoroughly prepared." "Thanks again for inviting me to come along. I've...been kinda curious about Asriel's home for a long time." "Just remember our sacred promise, all. It's crucial in order to keep my promise to him." I warned. "Understood, Commander. He learns nothing of this until he comes of age. When's his own man and is emotionally and psychologically ready for the truth. To make his own choice--" Bunnie stopped abruptly. "Right. When that day comes. Until then, we're all keeping this a secret from him." "You can count on me, Commander." Mitzi agreed. "No prob, Bob." Sally saluted. "Thanks again for taking time out from your busy OGPX schedule for this. You've already met Undyne once so..." "It'll be a breeze, Commander." "Better than dust in the wind--" Another thwap. "I'm going to warn you not to make that joke again. In the Underground, that's a morbid subject." "Right....my bad." "So. What's the plan?" "Bunnie's going to warp us first to New Home. I want to check in on Asgore. Make sure he's doing okay before we proceed onward." It was a reversal in more than one way this run. Asside from going backwards through the kingdom, I was also going to spend, theoretically, more time with Asgore than Toriel. I felt I already knew Asriel's mother well enough. But regardless of which timeline I considered and which instance I had in mind...I just didn't get to know Asgore that well. It was only right that I familiarize myself with his father. For the last five to six years, we all raised him on a slant based on plenty I had learned about Toriel. That was good for nurturing him and protecting him. But now that he was growing toward independance and able to take care of himself, he needed the balance of a father's advice, life lessons, and companionship. But was it right to consider a dynamic of "mother knows best for taking care of yourself" and "father knows how to have fun and grow into a man"? Five years later...and I still didn't feel like I knew what I was doing. Granted, if you start to feel like you need and instruction manual for having fun and being a best friend, then you're doing it wrong. Yet...it was this anxiety that compelled me to believe that maybe I did need fatherly advice to continue to raise him. "Commander. Don't overthink. It'll unfold naturally. Your emotion and worry is transmitting your surface thoughts like a TV broadcast tower." I'd become that predictable? "Right. So, being that Bunnie's warp gate will take us right to the Judgement Hall, provided Sans doesn't show up, we drop in on Asgore. Since there's no other way into the throne room besides through the barrier from the other side, he'll assume we came from Hotland. For those of us he doesn't recognize it won't be a problem for him to meet you for the first time." "So what's the plan after?" "We'll split up and explore; trading off and mixing and matching between areas. I'm sure Violet wants to pay a visit to Hotland and drop in on Alphys. It's just as well. We should probably get an update on the continuing plan and make sure Evil Chara hasn't returned to the Underground. Also I don't trust Flowey to keep out of trouble for long. What worries me is that he's still giving advice, predictions, and mischievious bits of this-and-that to an unsuspecting Papyrus." "We'll tackle that when we get to Snowdin at a later mission." Sally assured, already working on a plan for then. Even now she was a better planner than I was." "Any sub-reddits while we're at it?" Vi mused. "Mitzi should probably accompany if we visit Hotland. There's someone we somehow bypassed last time we were here. But...Mitzi should probably brace herself, considering her fear of insects. I'm pretty sure arachnids are not excluded." "Commander?" "It'll make sense soon enough. Just try not to freak out...in a bad way." "Uh...sure...I guess I'm thoroughly warned." As a precaution I decided that if we did go that route, I'd have to split up the Twice-As-Nice Mice. No way would Gadget keep calm around Muffet's giant pet. While I'd love for us all to drop in on Alphys, the contigiency was for Gadget, Violet, and myself to keep her company while the others went on ahead. As Bunnie set up the jutsu for "Spacial Displacement", Sally pondered further. "So...I hear there's a fellow disc jockey in Waterfall." "Napstablook? Sure. You'll love him. He's a little shy and reserved so, try not to over-excite him." "I want in on that action." Violet mused. "Fine. I guess he's probably curious to know where you keep getting him those music mixes I bring him." "Let's not forget the fuzzy elephant in the room." "The Temmies. Yeah, we'll drop in on them, too, Bunnie. But I'm pretty sure that's not what you're asking about?" A smirk. "Okay, we'll see Gerson, too." I grinned. "Which leaves Monster Kid. I figure we'll pal around him for a bit before we return." "Aren't we overlooking the big fish?" "Really, Vi? You're gonna make that obvious a pun?" I lowered an eyebrow. "Right." I rubbed my temples. "We'll all drop in on her. The way her memories have been reconditioned, Mitzi should fit right in with the rest of the puzzle pieces. We are going to have to be prudent from here on out, though. Since we haven't restored Snowdin's memories, it will be a dance to get everything just right so that everyone's recollection of us in Snowdin intermeshes with the memories we're about to restore in Waterfall. For all the people of Waterfall know, we've already come from the Ruins and Snowdin and have met everyone there. We have to make sure there are no discrepancies." "Key players being Undyne and Papyrus, especially." Sally pointed out. "Not to mention making sure Undyne's interactions with Alphys are also spot-on." Bunnie nodded, arms crossed. "We got this, m' peeps." I secured all the memory tubes and the Neuralizer. "We stick to the plan. No unnecessary deviations. That goes pentuple for you, Vi." "Ouch." "He's got a point, Miss Vi." "Gadget. Don't encourage your brother." Violet crossed her arms then blew a raspberry. To finallize this, I summarized and explained one last time for the team how this all fit together and what STC resources and "memory patches" we had implimented to make sure there were no "plot holes" along the way. "Backwards we go. Not just in the sense that we're coming back through New Home into Hotland to Waterfall and ending at the edge of Snowdin Town, but also in how the interactions and time stamps are layered. With all of us present to meet Asgore, it will be the theoretical endpoint of a dry run through the underground; presuming each of us has gone through the entire underground up to this point. All clocks, time pieces, calendars and such have been modded save for the ones in Alphys' lab. She'll be serving as our control chronometer and event checklist. During our time in Hotland and Waterfall, each event, encounter, and time log has been adjusted and will be fine-tuned for our progress to stack. Anyone who isn't Alphys or Mettaton will presume we haven't been to New Home, yet. And anyone in Waterfall will presume we haven't reached Hotland. But since we're going backwards, each person will have to be under the impression that we've come from Snowdin Town and are working our way toward Hotland. Got all that?" After a bit of processing, I got nods all around. It was incredibly convoluted; but staging this was a delicate science. Applied chronology working for the common good. Asside from erasing Chara's presence, I was also erasing everyone's encounters in New Home. They were getting this do-over and I was intent on making sure it didn't blow up like last time. "Any time you're ready, Bunnie." "縛道のXXX-G. 空間転位. (Binding Art number XXX-G: Spatial Displacement)" The gateway opened and we went in one by one. Sub-Entry 182: "Checking in On Asgore": We stepped out of Bunnie's spatial displacement rift between areas. The Judgement Hall. Completely repaired from Sans' one-sided war with Chara thanks to plenty of STC issue tools. "This hallway gives me the creeps." Gadget shuddered. "it's as though it remembers. As if the Echoes of Sans' vengeance haven't left this place, even in light of erasing memories." Bunnie frowed. "Yeah, it's got some real bad vibes I can't explain." Sally admited. I took a moment to compose myself. "I've had more than one experience in this infernal hallway that led to a bad time. This is where Sans passes his final judgement before Frisk sees the King." "Sans sounds scary." Gadget shuddered behind me. "Haven't met the guy yet." Mitzi shrugged. "He can't be that bad. And even if he is, I sure as heck don't feel like being bullied by him." "You say that now, Mitzi...but you better hope you stay on his good side." "I barely met the dude. But I can tell he is hardcore. Takes a special kind to vent like that on a child." Sally wrinkled her nose. "Yeah, well Evil-Chara is no mere child. You saw what they attempted to do. It's bad enough they were a horrible person to begin with. But Adonis has him wrapped around his finger whether he knows it or not. They may have a relationship like Dr. Wily and Bass but they still have common ground. Namely us. And what they want to do us." "Hmm..." Bunnie rubbed her chin. "Ah, we can handle Sansy-pansy. A dark comedian knows a dark comedian. I will say he's a unique case. Guy's kinda like me." "If you were well-liked by everyone?" Sally jabbed. "Hey!" Violet was caught off guard. Admittedly, I chuckled. But she wasn't wrong. Sans was a dog-about-town. The Royal Guard loved him, everyone at Grillby's enjoyed his company. Grillby himself let Sans' bar tab slide. It had to be pretty big by now. Violet tended to rub people the wrong way. Sometimes unintentionally...most of the time on purpose. That was how they differed. How they were the same? Twisted sense of humor. Valued friendship (or brotherhood in Sans' case) more than anything and would do anything if not everything to preserve it (despite the teasing and trolling on Violet's part). Both staggeringly more intelligent than they made themselves out to be. And despite how much of a goof-off the both of them were...somehow they got crap done. And yes...both of them hid a much deadlier side to them than they let on. The shere amount of ordinance Violet unloaded on missions was almost overkill at times. Not since Eugene Tackleberry of Police Academy had I seen someone so trigger happy. While in Sans' case, when he really tried during that Megalovania judgement in a Genocide Run? It was downright horrifying what he was capable of. "You're brainstorming again, Commander. Eyes forward." I sighed. "Of course. "So...we're all going to meet Asgore. Not just a brief encounter. We're really going to pick the guy's brain." Gadget thought aloud, looking nervous. "That's the size of it." We had stopped before the final doorway. "Well. This is it." I went in first with Bunnie behind me; keeping Violet on a short leash. Mitzi, Sally, and Gadget held up the rear. And there he was, watering the flowers and humming. He was in a good mood...at least he was making us think he was. "Hmm?" I approached and knelt down. "Your highness. I've returned after exploring the underground." "Ah! Doctor! Welcome! I see you have brought more friends with you. I recognize some and...not so much the mice." "Oh yes. Introductions are in order. You see, the other members of my team finally found ther way into the Underground." I brushed asside the fact that I and a couple of my crew had already met Toriel, the Skelebros., Undyne and Alphys, and Mettaton among others. But a portion of his memories had been edited and other portions had been given the Inception treatment, while Chara's exisitence had been wiped. "What brings you back to my throne room?" "Just checking up on you, your highness." "Checking up on me?" "I...worry a lot about my fellow monster." That was true. A good-natured laugh ensued. "Oh my goodness. What a good friend you are. It's comforting that you care so much about a silly old man who has nothing better to do than water the flowers." It was a joking tone but...it was masking a darkness inside. A loneliness. A bit of an awkward silence. "Right. Introductions." I cleared my throat. "I've been working in the shadows as part of a research team, with the hopes of collecting information about the surface world to better prepare us for the day we escape the Barrier. In order to acclimate Monsterkind to the modern world. It has...changed considerably since we were first sealed away. I present to you some of the members of my team: Grand Master Bunnie Meiru Rabbotou, my second in command. For decades she's covertly learned the ways of the warrior in the shadow arts and techniques of the part of the world called the Orient. She has been perfecting methods of defending oneself without causing permanent injury or casualties." "Asgore Ou-sama." Bunnie gave a very formal kowtow. "Oh my, humble and loyal. You seem quite capable." "Thank you, your highness. I live to serve." "Er...right." There seemed to be almost a tinge of worry and sorrow in Asgore...as if something about her stoic nature intimidated him. Or maybe her strict obedience gave him the same vibe that it did Sally when she was Princess of Ecotropia; Sally wanted a friend who she could share a personal relationship with...not a servant the equivalent of a robot drone. "P......er...Violet Usako Tokugawa, my third in command." I left off the royal title. I could see Vi wrinkle her nose at it. I quicklly snatched off her crown and hid it behind my back, which ticked her off even further. "She's a person of incredibly rare talent and immeasurable intelligence. Her abilities allowed her to establish a vast fortune and secure resources and secretly recruited many humans without revealing her identity as a monster. With such a large number of people working for her, we will have access to those resources and be able to establish social and political and political connections when our time comes." "Eh. The intro tanked at first, but nice recovery, Commander. What up, your maj?" "...modest little devil, isn't she?" I smoldered. "Golly, mannerisms sure have changed, haven't they?" "Some of us just need to remember their place in the presence of A KING." I glared at Vi. Violet shrugged with a cheesey grin. I face palmed for a moment then introduced Sally next. "Sally A. Acorn. My terrain master. With our combined resources we were able to outfit her with the surface world's...technology, vastly amplifying her powers. As a result, she's our fastest member as well as our best explorer. With her ability to speed across, around, and even above great distances, she's been able to survey much of the lands above. When we've secured a cartographer, her data will let us make maps so Monsterkind will not get lost up there. It's a big place with a lot to explore and a lot of places one could get lost." "It keeps me busy, King Asgore. It's a fun job and if I may toot my own horn, I've gotten pretty good of running around without being seen by humans. Hope I can be of great help to the kingdom." "Well, my dear, you have a good attitude. Someone that eager to help in any way is a truly rare find, Doctor." I was seeing Asgore's mood brighten with each introduction. I wasn't just setting things in motion, I was rekindingling his hope. And an Asgore with hope was a king less likely to consider suicide as repentance for his sins. "Mitzi Minerva Mozzarella. But the title I've given her is Photon Combat Specialist. But don't be fooled by the name; really it's just a glorified way of saying her magic lets her control and shape light itself. While her responsibilities are diverse, she's our group's caretaker. In addition, she's a wonderful chef. I hope one day she can prepare a feast for you. She's really the big sister of our group." "I'd be happy to, my liege." From the moment he made eye-contact, I could tell Asgore was put at ease if not relaxed. Mitzi had an aura about her that made you feel like you were in the presence of family not just a stranger off the street or an old friend. "I look forward to it, Miss Mozzarella." I turned to Gadget next. "And our group's youngest member but incredibly brilliant, Gadget Tress Hackwrench. She's been an adopted little sister to me since she was born And an absolute joy to travel with. As our makeshift technologist, she has invented countless things for us to use when we had to go off the grid and survive with whatever could scavage." Gadget kinda hid behind me, still a little intimidated by Asgore's size. "She's a little shy and timid. It's okay. We're in the company of the King." "H-hi, Y-your highness. It's...n-nice to meet you." It was actually pretty normal for her to stammer like this when meeting someone much bigger than herself and in a position of authority. In a way...this was how she was a lot like Asriel when he was just a boy. "You do not have to be afraid little one. I will not bite. You are safe. We are all friends here, are we not?" Gadget nodded before stepping out from behind me. Asgore knelt down and patted her gently on the head. For someone with such big hands...I couldn't believe how incredibly gentle he was. I mean yeah, I had seen him care for the flowers so often now, I shouldn't have been surprised...but still......how was it possible that he could be this much of a gentle giant, given what he had done in the past? And then it occurred to me. He was Jonathan Talbain. At his very core he was my son-in-law. The savagery went down to his core but he did his darndest to suppress it. The second fallen child must have known his full wrath. But with each one, I wonder if Asgore started to hold back? Given his power...it likely wouldn't have made much of a difference. A fraction of his power was still enough to do the deed. Under no circumstances could I bring this up with Gadget around. She was navie but she could figure it out. I'm sure even Asgore didn't want to reveal that to someone so young and so innocent. "Thank you, King Asgore, sir." Gadget caught me by surprise when she hugged him out of nowhere. It was almost too much for him. I could see him a little misty-eyed. No doubt about it...she was reminding him of Asriel. After a bit of very careful, very descrete discussion, making sure each of us played our part and didn't let anything slip that could comprimise the mission. "So...where are you off to, now, Doctor?" "Back into the rest of the Underground to live life. We spent so much time embracing the surface, our job is only half if not only a third finished. We known about the surface but we know little about the Underground. We have much to research before we're ready to integrate into society above. And with the Barrier still up...bringing it all together could be a long, long way off. I expect we'll form some kind of...institute and be teachers so that we can tell all about both worlds." "What a wonderful plan you have, Doctor. When the time comes, I shall have to approve it in full." All this time and I had been working off a pretty big assumption; that we were going to build a utopia where monster and human lived it peace. But...I knew darn well there was an other side. That it wouldn't be so easy. Hell...Chara...both of them had hammered this dark side of humanity into monster kind for so long. I knew it could be a drop of the hat before Asgore addressed this. I knew that it could be anything--no matter how small--could set off other monsters who hadn't forgotten his royal decree. And I knew there were monsters still around that were sooo hyped about the destruction of humanity...whether they were clueless about it or not. I don't think I'd have to worry about Bratty and Catty...they'd probably change their minds about it all, spontaneously without even knowing why. It was Undyne and others like her who I'd have to work with. Luckily, I'd have Frisk to give her a jumpstart. "Well. When we get to that point...when we do get to the surface, the moment I can seek audience with you again, we'll address this." I bowed one more time. As we finally wrapped thinks up... "Well. I don't wish to take up more of your time. But it warms my heart to see you in a good mood, your highness." A hearty laugh. "Why would I not be? I have so much support from my people and we have a good plan in place for when we reach the surface." This was half-truth. If even that. I could see it in his eyes. I could just sense it. He was holding back the rest of the story...the sadness, the anger, the guilt... In short...everything that wasn't being said...not with my crew in his presence. "We will take our leave and start living our lives, I suppose." "If you would take a moment out of your busy schedules to visit every so often, that would be swell." Swell? Who honestly said "swell" anymore? But...I suppose that was proof, he was still a big kid at heart. I'd have to work on getting his expressions and slang up to date...though I had to wonder if that was a mistake in itself. As I had learned early on from my own experiences with my daughter Penelope-Anne...there's nothing as uncool as your parents trying to be cool. I'd worry about that bridge when I came to it. Pretty sure Asriel would be better than that when the reunion finally came around. There was already an AU iteration of Asriel that had such frustrations after his own...growth spurt. We each bowed and left the throne room and headed back throughout New Home; checking the progress of each of the restored memories and coming up with our own cover stories in case there were questions of when we managed to drop in on Asgore without being seen. "That went well." Mitzi acknowledged "It actually did. Don't jinx it, girl." Violet warned. "Asriel's dad is wonderful. He's going to be so happy when he reunites with him some day." "Yeah...some day..." I sighed. There were two things I didn't want to acknowledge. Asgore's dark deeds--which Asriel would inevitably learn some day. And the other thing... "Eyes forward, Commander. But not too forward. Do not spend all your efforts focused on the future when you may smash face first into the present." "Right as always, Bunnie." Sub-Entry 183: "Step Into My Parlor Said the Spider to the Mouse": Back through the Core we went. Gadget was geeking out over every little facet of it. I had to wonder what it was inspiring her to build on her free time. I decided to let Bunnie, Violet, and Gadget take a powder at MTT Resort. Dinner and a rest. Sally, Mitzi, and I went on ahead. Might as well progress onward with my two bravest members. I'd made my peace with Muffet. Even after restoring her memories. But now there was a new problem to solve. How to introduce the two of them to the greediest spider in the Underground? Sally, I didn't really have to worry about. Insects and arachnids didn't scare her. If they did she'd never be able to spend as much time as she did in the terraiums at Lupe's nature preserve. Girl damn near scared me into shedding after letting a tarrantula walk across her from one hand, over the head, to the other. There was bold and there was Sally. Her credo was that she didn't need to prove her courage.....at times...she just plain wanted to prove her courage. Plus I'm pretty sure if anything went wrong, she could just take to the air. Though I advised her not to use the butterfly burners. One spark and her entire web will go up in flames. Which left her with fewer options. The Matter-Wave helicoptor rotor was a good choice, but it could get tangled up in the webs, causing her to do the ugliest crash-out since Mega Man used Gravity Hold on Gyro Man in the fifth war against Dr. Wily. But...if she switched her Tengu Suit to Mode-Xi; also known as the Air Razor Mode, she could use its microvortex air jet thrusters to hover and fly without the use of propellors or burners. Plus it gave her control over the wind. As a final bonus, this mode would mean if she absolutely HAD to attack for any reason, her weapons were as non-lethal as they got. I still trusted Sally could get out of a confrontation without throwing down. "Commander? There's something on the floor ahead." It was Mitzi I was worried about. If there was any indication, five years ago in Rotor and Skeeter's place...she didn't do well with creepy-crawlies. That cockroach had her and Nermal waaaay up in arms. Literally. Like standing on the table together, arms in the air and screaming. "Umm...Mitzi, I should have mentioned this earlier...but...how do you feel about spiders?" "...well...back in the Rock-Afire Explosion, Fatz had a giant pet spider in tennis shoes named Antioch that would drop in from the ceiling in order to deliver a birthday cake on some shows. Why?" "So...you're okay with them?" "I...guess...? Commander, why aren't you telling me?" "Well being that the question is about spiders, we're probably going to meet one. How big could it be?" Sally shrugged. "Ah-hu-hu-hu-hu-huh..." A chuckle echoed in the darkness. I knew that laugh. "Not reassuring." Mitzi lowered an eyebrow. "Well now...this has my attention." Sally grinned. "You didn't just pick the two of us randomly to head down this corridor, did you?" Mitzi wasked. I wasn't talking my way out of this one any time soon. "Uh...it's getting hard to move." Mitzi had inadvertantly gone ahead of us. Considering I would have expected Sally to go ahead of us, maybe Mitzi had something of her own to prove. "..." Sally immediately slapped her OGPX icon and nano-uncompressed her Tengu Suit and quickly switched to the mode with the Air Razor support unit stats and hovered above the webbing on the ground. "What...is this stuff?" MItzi almost had to ask. "Um...Commander...?" "...I've really got to stop forgetting to warn you about such important details." The edge of my sandal had stopped right where the webs had begun. "We're going to have a talk about this, young man. I'd put my knuckles to my hips if I could reach them." Yeah, by that time Mitzi had managed to get up to her rib cage in spider webs. Curse my absent-mindedness. I mean it should have been an obvious thing for me to warn her about. "You really need to learn to put the brakes on that overactive worry of yours. Your distraction got me into this mess." "Hang tough, Mitzi. I'll fly overhead and pull you out." "Ah-hu-h-hu-hu-hu. What's this? A tasty little snack has wandered into my web? Or maybe a customer who thought she'd skip out on my bill?" "Who said that?!" Mitzi tried looking around. I sighed. "Here she comes..." "Here who comes, Commander?" Sally hovered in place. "So...anyone know that nursery rhyme with the curds and whey?" Mitzi could have face-palmed if she got her arm free. Muffet appeared as if on cue. "There's a penalty for not paying your tab." "It's a bit hard to reach my gold when I'm up to my neck in spider webs." Mitzi replied rather unphased. "Ah-hu-hu-hu-hu-hu...then maybe my pet can help you find it." "What kind of a pet would a giant spider have?" Mitzi arched an eyebrow. "Here's a thought. How about an even bigger spider?" Sally suggested. "What makes you say that?" Mitzi asked. Sally pointed. "...................." And sure enough the beast opened its maw. "You've got to be kidding me..." MItzi lowered her eyebrow. "Isn't this like some kind of overused trope or something?" She complained. Sally cracked her knuckles with a grin I'd seen Monkey D. Luffy wear before. She was going to enjoy this. Could it be I'm a little out of practice with being a commander who keeps his crew OUT of trouble? Instead of...you know...leading them right into it. "Muffet, wait--" I started before Sally's jet vortices got intensely louder and wind currents started spiraling around her. "Dammit." I should have factored that into the mix. Yup. This is what years of being S.T.C.' unwilling lapdog had did to me. If this were my original run as acting UCIAT commander, I would never have let this happen. But excuses weren't diffusing this situation any. "Ah-hu-hu-hu-hu-hu...what have we here? Let's get a better look at you, dearie..." The giant spider pet's eyes lit up, making it easier to see Mitzi in the darkness. "A little mouse that wandered a long way from Snowdin? Naughty naughty. Thinking you can taste my wares and not pay." Muffet must not have seen us come in from the other way. Somehow she thought we came from the direction that lead to Waterfall. "What are you talking about? I haven't stolen anything." Crap. I remembered just now. I forgot to hand each of us a spider donut. But then again, that might have made it worse. This time there was no guarantee one of her fellow spiders would come in with the note and the receipt. "Okay, if I wasn't afraid of spiders before..." Mitzi murmured. "Yo!" Sally's voice snapped in the darkness. "I'll take your challenge!" Why do I always lose control of these things? Okay...stay calm, Volt. I checked the Neurolizer again to make sure. Did something go wrong with the memory inception? I was certain she should have remembered Mitzi and Sally from what we had implanted. "Dammit...I'm going to have to reengineer this at this rate..." I reinserted Muffet's memory tube. A thought occured to me. Most everyone else had two eyes. Astigmatism and Loox only had one but...I wonder if by any chance I had brought her memories back with one or more of those eyes shut? Could that be it? Meanwhile, Sally was dodging Muffet's attacks and the attacks of her pet and the normal spiders in the room. A few close calls required use of her air shots on their lowest power setting. At their size and weight, it didn't take much to send them flying. "Comin' in hot, Mitzi. Hold reeeeeeeal still." "When you say that I feel like I should be nervous. Should I be nervous?" The response was immediate but it wasn't in words. *FZZZT* The exact moment after Mitzi blinked her eyes, Sally had already soared past her with the Quick Sword still extended. "..." Mitzi took a moment to process what happened before she stepped out of the cocoon of webbing binding her, which Sally had sliced completely open. "Cutting it a little close?" Mitzi checked her clothes to see if they were intact. "You're welcome!" Sally grinned with a wink. "Ah-hu-huh-hu-hu-hu! Such misbehavior! Unruly patrons in my lair only get penalties to pay! At this rate you'll be in debt to my bakery for centuries!" "When we get back home, remind me to lower my prices." Mitzi grumbled. "I'm down for that." Sally landed as the legions of spiders started to surround her. "Hey! No autographs. A speed demoness needs her personal space." Sally opened up all the vortex vents on her suit and unleashed Spiral Cylinder, wrapping herself in a cylinder of wind that scattered the arachnids outward. Any unlucky enough to be caught in the tube itself were spun around Sally before the air blast send them all flying. "How rude! Mistreating my fellow spiders like that!" While Muffet was distracted with that, I took action; forming a Magnet Beam track over the webs and straight to her. I put on my sunglasses and primed the Neuralizer. "Say cheese!" I hollered, catching her at a moment before she could blink any of her eyes. One purple flash later... "Huh? Oh it's you! I remember now...you gave generously to the spider cause." "Eheh...yeah, that's me." Greedy spider only remembers who paid the largest bill. "And you remember meeting my crew, right?" If I could have sweat bullets I would have. "Of course I do. How could I forget this lovely little mouse patron. A fellow mistress of the cullinary arts. Ah-hu-hu-hu-hu-hu." "Talk about changing your tune on a dime..." Mitzi muttered. "Psst. You remember to bring that thing I asked?" I whispered to Mitzi. "Er...right. As we agreed previously." Mitzi, retrieved the dessert from her E.N.G.I.N.E. microdot by slight of hand. She was acting on the assumption that the implanted memory took hold. "But of course." Muffet said as she exchanged pastries. I had warned Mitzi to...not think about what went into Muffet's wares. And I sure wasn't going to give it away by dropping the slogan. Made for spiders, by spiders, OF spiders indeed... Ugh. I was surprised to see Mitzi's reception to the taste was very positive. As was Muffet's to Mitzi's confection. At this rate we might see a joint venture between these two after we the barrier breaks and Monsters go free. And like that the two of them were engaged in conversation and bonding over their cooking skills and experiences. "Heh." Sally looked on. In fact it went on so long I actually had to invertene to cut the conversation short. After all that hullabaloo, Mitzi let bygones be bygones. Then again the memory rewrite made sure Muffet didn't exactly remember what we had all been doing leading up to this so...I guess any hard feelings would be one-sided and kept under lock and key. Still. I was pretty sure the only grudge Mitzi held was toward her ex-boyfriend and Helen Henny. With that out of the way, we were on our way. "Let's not do that again any time soon." Mitzi said with a huff. "And after you two were getting along so well." Sally prodded. "Don't start." I stayed out of it. Sub-Entry 184: "A Briefing with Alphys" At some point the others managed to leave MTT Resort and somehow get ahead of us to Alphys' Lab. Of course she was already on top of the situation. A bit disappointed that we didn't bring the Delorean...but she got over it. Honestly, I think it was a mistake revealing it to her...but the same argument could have been made in my mentor's case when he showed it to me all those lifetimes ago. Relatively speaking. If he hadn't, I wouldn't have been inspired to pursue chrono science and my life would have taken a drastically different turn. For all I knew, I'd be Ghostbusting full time with my other mentors. The door opened for Bunnie, Violet, and Gadget before Vi could even knock. Not that knocking on a steel, reenforced door would accomplish much other than give a person sore knuckles. "Volt is not with you?" As if she really needed to ask, since her camera network had likely long since tipped her off, anyway. "It would seem we've outdistanced him when we split up after leaving New Home." "Eh, the Commander will catch up. Which leaves us more time for girl talk, Alli." "Alli?" Alphys was caught off guard by Vi's sudden nickname. Bunnie facepalmed, recognizing that as the former girlfriend of one Daniel Russo. "Oh hey. Got you a gifit. Manga." "Oh my gaaaawd! I hope it's Mew Mew Kissy Cutie!" "Welllll, there is kissing buuuut.." As soon as Alphys opened it, she turned beat red. "Oh m-m-m-my g-g-g-gawd...so...um...i-i-i-intense...I...er...that is..." Alphys' glasses were starting to fog up. *WHAP* Bunnie's tessan fan hit home. "Violet Usako Tokugawa. This is your ultimatum. Behave yourself. I do not wish to get out the duct tape." Violet groaned. "Oh all right. Killjoy." "I apologize again, Alphys-hakase." "Th-that's quite alright, Bunnie-sensei. I p-p-probably had it c-coming." Alphys fumbled with the manga before stumbling up the escalator to put it with her collection....then came stumbling back down. In her stupor, she had forgotten it was an escalator and not normal stairs. Bunnie put her knuckles to her hips, switching her annoyance at Violet for being a cottonball to Alphys for doubting herself. "Alphys. Remember our talk about self-confidence? I know you've felt tremendous guilt. But remember...how can you expect to be forgiven by others when you are not willing to forgive yourself?" "Sensei Rabbotou...I--" While Gadget was already using Alphys' workbench to tinker around with some of the stuff from her pack while Violet was sulking over the disciplinary action... "...I understand that there are things you have entrusted to the Commander. Things you are not proud of. Things that worry you. He has not disclosed the nature of them to me or anyone else, so do not feel alarmed." "..." At this point, Alphys was barely holding back the tears. "It is okay. Do not speak about whatever is on your mind if you do not wish to. But please compose yourself. It will draw attention if Gadget and Violet see you like this." "If y-y-you only knew what I've d-d-done. You wouldn't b-be so warmly r-receptive." "But I do understand second chances. As does the Commander. As does Violet. As to all of us who've made mistakes int he past. Ours is a city of second chances and redemption. It's waiting there for you when you make it to the surface...when we come back for you some day. When Asriel-kun is ready to rediscover his home. His real home." "Why...why d-d-d-do I d-d-deserve so m-many people who are w-willing to put that m-much faith in me. Why am I being granted s-s-so much understanding?" "Why do you need a reason? Compassion does not need to be explained. Only given freely." "Sensei Rabbotou..." "Bunnie. Please. I am sensei to my students. I am Bunnie to my friends." "B-Bunnie...I...I'm not ready. The more time goes b-by the harder it feels...the less I think it's possible to atone. Violet...after what Volt has t-told me about her...she'd n-n-n-never forgive me for...things..." Bunnie arched an eyebrow, following Violet's line of thought...her strong opinions about certain things. It didn't take her to get the gist of it. "No more words about it." Bunnie understood that Alphys had tampered with life itself. It was true...Violet wouldn't be all that understanding at first. But...if anyone could talk her out of a grudge, it was Bunnie. If it was possible for Vladimir Stokes to finally get in Violet's good graces, given his entire life's work with bio-engineering and creating his son, Red then there was hope Violet would grant the same priveledge to Alphys for the Amalgamates and Flowey. "The Commander will be here any time. You should--" The door opened at that time and I stepped in with MItzi and Sally. The two of them were in deep conversation. "Think about it, Alphys. You've already confided in him. And he's confided in you. You shared the bond of protecting each others' deepest secrets. When you're ready you'll find the courage to do what needs to be done. I cannot thank you enough for being our anchor in this ongoing mission." "M-me? I...haven't really done much." "You sell yourself short. Find your confidence and you will be surprised how much strength you really have." Alphys sighed. "O-okay. I'll...at least try." "That said...we have updates to exchange and plans to continue." "Major. Glad you kept things under control." I nodded as I pretended that I had just gotten into hearing range. Sally and Mitzi had missed what was said. "Violet will probably need additional talking to." I glared at Violet who just shrugged with a cheesey grin. "I was on my best behavior!" Gadget presented herself. She walked over and hugged me. I hugged back. "I had no doubt you would be." "I got to meet Mettaton! He's so cool! I didn't know robots could have so much personality!" I surmised Gadget hadn't figured out the dilema of the Ghost in the Machine. But knowing her...she'd figure it out anyway. I don't think she'd be disappointed, honestly. Really, Gadget would accept Mettaton whether he was a real A.I. or a ghost possessing an empty machine shell. "Yeah. He's really something. Isn't he, Alphys?" Alphys was already in that familiar nervous pangolin pose; rubbing the back of her hand while crossing one foot over top of the other. She was stammering for a reply. "I know, right! Even as his creator, you're totally speechless!" "Eheheh..." "Mettaton-san was indesposed with a personal appearance at MTT Resort. I believe it had something to do with a talent-search for his TV show. We had to leave before Snowdrake took stage." It figures. "And Violet? Did she behave herself?" "Well..." Gadget didn't want to lie...but she was hesitant to tell the truth. Bunnie and I exchanged glances that indicated just how deep the conversation went. I'd talk with Alphys about it later. For now... "Alphys, I have more crew to introduce you to. You've kinda already met Sally but only briefly. Anyway. Let's start from scratch. You've also met my adopted sister, Gadget last time we were here." "Oh yeah! I knew there was something I forgot! Silly me." Alphys seemed to be comforted by Gadget's demeanor. I think...she reminded Alphys of herself at a younger, more innocent age. You know, I'd have to ask her about Bratty and Catty some time. "Anyway, like I said. My Terrain Master, Sally A. Acorn. A woman of many talents and my fastest member. Real go-getter. Plus she's a freelance disc jockey for hire back home. No one can spin up a pair of vinyls like her." "Hey ya. Sup?" Alphys just waved. At least until she noticed Sally's gear...then she started geeking out over it. "OHMYGOSH! What is all this? This tech! I've never seen anything like it! Is this nanotomic, programmable carbon filament weave? Self-assembling nano-fiber? Polyamorphous alloy laminate?! Oh my gosh! What's even powering it?!" "Yeah, it's got all the whistles and bells. You and Nikita are going to get along just fine. Just...tone down the fan-girling a bit. She can be a bit...stoic and reserved when it comes to personality. She's...very professional." "Eheh...I'll consider myself warned when that day comes." I wonder if we were revealing far too much, far too soon for Alphys? I mean...with all this being dropped in her lap, how were we supposed to expect her to keep herself contained over it all. "Mitzi Mozzarella. Photon combat specialist. One of Bunnie's best students in the martial arts, too." "Oh? You weaponize light?" "That's exactly right, Doctor. I also sing and make pizza." Bratty and Catty described Alphys, once, as a "big sister". In a sense, Mitzi was kinda like that to Asriel. Mitzi eyed the empty stacks of ramen containers for a brief moment. "In fact, you look like you could use a good meal." "Oh, uh...you d-d-don't have to go through any t-trouble." "No trouble at all. In fact it's already prepared." Mitzi released one of the pizzas she'd put in E.N.G.I.N.E. storage. "My treat." It was probably for the best. Alphys' diet was obviously bad when this plus papato chisps (gods, what a spelling bee nightmare. This and the libraby...) were the only food I found around this place that wasn't the giant bag of dog food. Speaking of, the scent of dog food was still as strong as ever. "If y-y-you insist." Alphys set the box down and decided to try a slice as not to be rude. I could tell she was sold. It wasn't very "anime" but...I'm sure it was the best food she'd had in a while. "Anyway...introductions asside..." I dug out the T.A.O. link and connected to Alphys' network and downloaded the camera data and started picking through it with a fine-toothed comb. "No sign of Flowey or Evil Chara. But more importantly..." I plugged my T.A.O. link into my Bracer. "Kommand?" I waited. "...no sign of Madam Fate's black knight, either." I said, narrowing my eyes. "Th-th-th-that's good, y-yes?" "It isn't bad. But it also has me on edge. Still. If this is a trap, all we can do is walk into it, expecting one. There really isn't anything you can do when you don't even know if you're being set up for something soon or down the road." "It sounds like th-this is r-r-really more c-c-complicated th-than you let on." "It goes back so far back into S.T.C.'s history. My bosses wanted to bury it deep but their sins keep coming back to haunt us all, whether we had anything to do with it or not. I can't trust my superiors any further than I can kick them. That's why I'm working underground; with my old team. My old life, before I became immortal. Before I went through tens of hundreds of thousands of millions of billions of even trillions of lifetimes criss-crossing the cosmos and time itself." "Wow. The things you must've seen." "Yeah. Food for thought for another day far down the road, Alphys." "So...what's the plan, Commander?" Sally asked. Sub-Entry 185: "Off to Waterfall": "Simple. We head to Waterfall and continue restoring memories and getting the "game" set back up for Frisk." "Things have been running...surprisingly smoothly in Hotland and New Home since...well...whatever it was you did." "No sign of memory complications or conflicts?" "None. I guess that device of yours covered every base." Alphys pondered. "So amazing. S-such technology." "Well...after a while it all becomes...just flash. A part of the job that everyone else is just wowwed over. Really...it's the equivalent of scotch tape after a while." "You make it sound so...ordinary." "That's the point." I nodded. "The score count is three boss monsters recovered--" "Three?" "You're a boss monster, Alphys. Counting Asgore and Mettaton, that's three." "I...think you're overselling it. I-I-I d-don't even w-want t-to fight anyone. I'd b-b-be terrible at it." "That's a matter of persective." I muttered thinking back to what she put me through while possessed by Chara-Wraith. Girl was surprisingly hardy and terrifyingly skilled with electrical attacks. And every ability she copied off of Mettaton...she owned it like it was her own. "There's been no sign of any micro-glitches in the continuum. Which is good." I observed. "Micro-glitches?" "Like...scrambled patches within reality itself. Like seeing a video card glitch up but in three dimensions." I explained. "Did th-that really h-h-happen in our world?" "Yes. In the last timeline." Alphys shuddered. "The thought that our world is...well...the way you describe it..." "Most everyone in the Underground is not ready to know this. Most never will be. I think as a scientist, you can handle it. But be mindful. Being drawn into your work may lead you down the path of your predicessor." "Y-you've...met the previous Royal Scientist? Did you see into the past?" "Not...exactly. It's complicated. But it relates to that mysterious lab entry...you-know-where." Alphys was silent for a bit. "Well...I guess that's the briefing on where we are in the Underground." "Are you at liberty to discuss the Prince?" "Nothing much to report on. We went on a few off world adventures. Enjoyed the summer during the month of July. Nothing really special." "Well, Azzy was able to travel by himself to my home country like a boss. Got himself a passport and everything, rented himself a car, even managed to get himself a temporary place before he got to the palace." Alphys was impressed. But I was the one who was flabberghasted. Asriel did all THAT? On his own before hooking up with Violet and Bunnie for Golden Week? "Wow. What could have been if only..." "Yeah...I wonder about that myself. If only..." I looked at the ground. That was the question. What WOULD Asriel have been like if Chara had never even thought of the plan? I could list a couple of AU's where that scenario played out...and one of them certainly had a...very uncomfortable resolution before a Reset. The other...well...I'd rather not let Asriel see what happened to the Caretaker of the-- "Think we'll run into any more...complications like before?" Mitzi had to point out. That snapped me out of it. Of course she was referring to Muffet. "With our luck? Yeah. We probably will. Undyne will be a major obstacle if we show up at her doorstep. I mean...I really don't know how to prep for the Captain of the Royal Guard." "Undyne...sh-she's so...amazing." Alphys had her hands on her cheeks in a dreamy daze. "...hmm? Is she...?" Mitzi started to ask. "The ship has sailed, Mitzi." Violet prodded with a smirk. "Fishy love!" "!!!" Alphys about choked at that. "Violet!" I snapped. "Whaaaaat? It's romanatic! Come on, Al. Go get the big catch! Lock it up and make some sparks fly!" Alphys was blushing deeper and deeper red. Any redder and I'm sure steam would be hissing out of her ear holes. *SMACK* There went Bunnie's tessan fan again. "You were warned repeatedly. Next time you're going into timeout and the Commander will have the Power Company turn off your utilities." "Why ya' gotta break balls, Buns?" Sally cleared her throat. "I guess it's a simple plan. I don't really like making it up as we go. But sometimes even I don't have the seconds to spare to put together a plan." "Consider it a test of your ability to adapt, Sally-chan." Bunnie acknowledged. "Right as rain, old friend." "I guess we gotta go. I'm going to miss you, Dr. Alphys." Gadget hugged again. ".....I'll miss you, too." Alphys calmed down, losing her stutter again. She really was a bag of nerves. But I guess it takes one to know one. "Keep it real, Alphie-baby. I'll have some prime anime and manga waiting for you next time in town." "Eh...right." "Take care of yourself, Alphys. Consider getting out more and expanding your horizons a bit. Get a good meal and some sleep, now and then." The way Mitzi was going on, it was like a mother's love. She really was great at acts of kindness and caring. "I'll give it a try." "Remember our talk, Alphys-hakase. You are greater than the sum of your parts. You only need to look within to find your inner strength. I know there is good in you and I know you can find the courage to overcome your challenges." It was like a barrage of cowboy speeches. I think it was Bunnie's last-ditch effort to motivate her. Despite having the friendliest relationship with Alphys out of everyone in the Underground...despite Alphys having so many promises of sunnier days ahead...she was still the most vulnerable of everyone we'd meet in the Underground. She had the most doubts. And of course...she was carrying just as much of the weight of the world on her shoulders as Asgore. "We'll be in touch, Alphys. Take heart and keep your chin up. But most of all..." My crew and I looked at each other for a bit before saying in unison "Stay determined." Wow. Not even rehearsed and that came out perfectly. There's my ego-strengthening quota for the mission. Back to humility, Volt. You'll probably be in an awkward situation before you know it. We left the mechanical door of the lab. It closed behind us with a fwoosh of steam. To the right, relative to where we exited, was the path guarded by 01 and 02--the elite Royal Guard. Thankfully 02 was no longer shirtless. Thank you, Lady Destiny, for watching out for little sister's innocent eyes. But more importantly...keeping diffusing Violet's naughty thoughts. "Good-bye, Hotland. I'm going to miss you." I sighed, ears drooping. "All that wonderful heat." "Huh...guess it was a little warm back there." Mitzi checked her Thermal Belt. Yup. It logged some serious heat spike while in Hotland. "Eh." Sally shrugged. "Man, I'm going to have to wring my kimono out. Sweat is not good for silk." "Then why where it?" "I 'gots to strut my style. I wear the fine clothes! I keep the b-(FLOWEY CACKLE)-es in line!" Dammit, Vi. It was then I remembered. "Sans' sentry station is up ahead. He's got them all over the Underground. With his abilities over space and time he can be at any one of them instantaneously." "Yes...his abilities are...not to be trifled with. Most of us have already seen them in action." A grim silence befell us all. Gadget and Mitzi looked at us all, worriedly. Mitzi had at least th gist of it. Gadget had no idea. I did NOT want her seeing that side of Sans. "So. How do we get past it? I'm...not ready to encounter him again. I...need more time." "Commander. You are going to have to work up the courage, sooner or later." "I know...but also from a practical standpoint. Sans is too much of a wild card. Bringing his memories back this early on will give us problems. And besides...I'm not entirely convinced the neuralizing was completely effective on him. I mean...he KNOWS about the other timelines." "I see what you mean. Even though his laziness is a deterrent...I know that he'd figure things out at an accelerated rate and then hold each of us responsible. The thought of him remembering what happened in the Judgement Hall...his interactions with Adonis that I was still trying to find evidence of...just everything he put me through because he couldn't cope with his own depression and cynicism.......no...that's not fair of me to judge him. Through so many timelines he's gone through his own Hell over and over. Sans was just so much of a...mixed bag. If it ever came down to it...I don't know how I'd ever get through to him if he became a Lost Soul. That's something only Frisk could figure out. "Very well then." Bunnie scripted again and shortcut us past the sentry post, the water cooler, the bridge...everything. "I hope you rediscover your nerve, Commander." "So do I, Bunnie. *sigh* So do I." We passed the neon sign of Hotland and before we knew it... "Waterfall. Wettest place in the whole Underground. Home of Captain Undyne of the Royal Guard, Temmie Village, Onion-san, Gerson, and a heck of a lot of Echo Flowers." I left out it was also where one could find the tragic story of the War Between Humans and Monsters. The truths I'd committed to memory. It was painful to think about even now. Everything that Asriel had probably forgotten...or eventually would, if he already hadn't. Perhaps five years ago, it might have rung a bell for him. But now...I didn't want to think about it. And I didn't want him to think about it. It would be hard enough when my own crew got to read it for htemselves. So here we were. Out of the black, red, orange, and yellows of Hotland along with the wavey, warped air currents. And into the black, purple, blue, turquoise, and greens of Waterfall. It was its own kind of surreal. At times it felt like it was made of invisible ground and the neon piping from Sally's OGPX gear. "Wooooow..." Gadget was in awe. "NIce place to hold a rave, Sal?" "You kidding? I can't just up and disturb the serenity of these digs! We've only been here a bit and I want to roll out my yoga mat and say "namaste"." A momentary pause. "But...just off the record...how good do you think the acoustics are in this place?" Sally folllowed up. "Well, we could always find out the easy way--" I whapped Violet. "We're trying NOT to draw attention to ourselves. Not until we can restore everyone's memories. And even then we want to maintain cover." "Where to, Commander?" "I think you know where, Major." She nodded. We worked our way down the path. "Hmm." I stopped at where the path branched. To the right...yeah...that place. "A moment of nostalgia, Commander?" "Or a glance into things to come." "You're worried about Frisk's inevitable confrontation with her." "Worried that I might have to come down here again to keep things from spiraling out of control. It would be just what I need. A THIRD clash against the fish." "You're going to have to face her just like Sans, you know." "I know. Both are invitable, but we're about to step onto her front lawn." I looked longingly at Undyne's crag. Good god...had I almost fallen off the edge with Monster Kid here? Had Bunnie and I clashed with Undyne and Evil-Chara on this spot. What was this feeling? Having spent five years in Miranda City...it was like I was getting accustomed to the passing of time again. I felt...more normal at this moment than I had in the last...seemingly trillion years in service to S.T.C. Even to a time-traveller, sometimes it didn't make sense how something I had just started to establish in Hill Valley had been existing outside space, time, and dimensions for what some civilizations believed to be the beginning of time itself. And yet, it had me numbed to the passage of time for so long that I'd almost forgotten how to feel alive...like I was still mortal. While Kommand jumpstarted me, the Mobians of ACM-001 had conditioned me, it was Asriel that finally polished me. Brought me back to who I was before the Council made a tool of me. Yikes. I reflected on all that just by staring at Undyne's crag. "Commander. Head out of the clouds, please." "...oh. Right." Thank you, Bunnie for snapping me out of that tangent that would have lead to nowhere. We worked our way backwards through Waterfall. As we did... "Looks like Lupe's kind of place. We're already knee-deep in weird-looking flowers." "Echo Flowers." I noted. "They look pretty." Gadget bent down to sniff one. But she was in for a surprise when. "They look pretty." Came the echo. A gasp and a squeal of glee. "Oh yeah...those could get annoying in the wrong hands." Sally crossed her arms and mused with a smirk. "Any reason you're looking at me?" Violet sneered with a matching smirk. "I tell it like it is." "Girls? Please focus." I begged. "I do not wish to crack the whip. Even for you, old friend." "My bad, Bunnie. My bad." Sally grinned. "Aww." Violet whined. "You might wish to embrace his ways a little less. When the situation calls for focus?" Sally got the message when Bunnie was bringing up the mutual friend. By this point shouldn't I just confirm they mean our world's Sonic? "So which way?" Mitzi asked. "Since you took the liberty of making a map of the Underground based on my research logs...which I'll also address another time." "Glitter. Display holo-map of Waterfall." Violet complied. "This way." I traced the path and pointed out how to navigate the light puzzles and the Bell Blossom puzzles. Inevitably my crew caught sight of the signs on the walls. They interpreted each message as I expected. Little if anything was said. "Lupe really should study these weird luminscent trees and mushrooms." Gadget rippled her tail. "Yeah. Another time." I said. "We're coming up on some kind of village." My mood immediately brightened. "Girls...I think you're going to like this. Everyone...welcome to...!" Sub-Entry 186: "Totally Temmie-ized": "Temmie Village!" I could almost hear weird theme music in the background. But really...it was just my imagination...wasn't it? "Uwaaaah! They're so cuuuuuute!" Gadget squealed. Mitzi read the sign. "hOI!!! welcom to... TEM VILLAGE!!! " She blinked a bit. "They can't spell for beans...but who cares! They are adoreable." Mitzi knelt down. "Careful. We don't know if we're allergic to them. Whenever Frisk tries to pet them, one always breaks out in--" "hOiVs!" I facepalmed as Violet had poked the little guy and he...she...it?...broke out in red spots. "Aww...I wanted to cuddle one." "Gadget--" I started. "What the...?" Gadget had picked up the Temmie and was already snuggling. And...nothing was happening?" "Huh." I scratched my head. "Carry on then, Little Sister. Carry on." Weird. Was it Gadget's mutation that made it possible? Was she just lucky?" Bunnie looked at the mural. "us tems hav a DEEP HISTORY!" "So it would seem." Bunnie raised an eyebrow upon inspection of the painting of the Temmie riding atop a dragon. "Mushroom Dance! Mushroom Dance! Whatever could it mean?" "I know what it means to me. It's got a beat, baby! Yeah! I totally need to put this on a demo tape." "I'd dance to it, Miss Sally!" Gadget followed the movements. "Actually...it symbolizes my inner torment, trapped here by my hyphae. My struggle to pull away. My struggle to escape. But alas, to no avail." "Huh. Drag." Sally curled her lip in a grimace. "Aww...poor thing." Gadget gently patted Ragel the mushroom. I shrugged, hands in my labcoat pockets. "Shame on you, Boss Wolf. Keeping this place to yourself for the last five years." Violet prodded. "You're welcome." I said dryly. "What do you think, Sensei?" "In all my years, I've never seen...or heard...anything like it." "hOI!" "Case in point?" "Case in point." "They are...strangely mesmerizing." "Oh yes." "I feel something, girls." "I know, Sally. We're all filled with..." "Don't say it, Vi..." I moaned. "Detemmienation!" I sighed. "Go check out the shop and buy some stuff, will ya?" And sure enough... "Soo. Pay for Temmie's college?" "Dude. Temmie can BUY the college now!" "SO MANY MUNS! AWAWAWAWA!!!" "This is going to play merry heck with the timeline...I just know it..." I groaned. "Commander, the timeline is already irrevocably changed. What does it matter now?" "I suppose you're right. I tried keeping it as close as I could in the previous timeline and look where that got me. I guess if this is the grand experiment, I might as well go all out. See what we can get away with without crashing the game." "You worry too much, Commander." MItzi comforted. "Yeah...guess I do." It seemed kinda early to be taking a powder what with the important business we had ahead. "So...shouldn't we umm...restore their memories?" "I...don't know if that will do anything. Temmies seem...trapped in their own world a lot of the time. I can't really say if they're even aware of this one. I can't really say what's even going through their minds." "So...no go?" Violet asked. "To be honest...I tried using the neurolizer on them and I tried getting copies of their memories...all I got was this." I held up a tube that seemed like it was full of...Temmie Flakes blowing around by an invisible cyclone. "Oh yeah...I don't think that's normal." Sally lowered an eyebrow. "I think we should leave sleeping puppy-cats lie where they are." "But they're not--" And like that the whole village laid down for a nap. "Wait...do Temmies even sleep? Huh...I guess they do. Weird. I always figured they were living perpetual motion machines. You should see their stretchy limbs in action." "Stretchy limbs you say?" Violet questioned. "You ever play the really, really old school game, SNAFU or Worms or that painting mini game in Mystical Ninja Starring Goemon?" "Ahhh. Gotcha." "Man that must be something to see. The puppy-cat version of Mr. Fantastic." "I see Asriel's gotten you into comic books, Sal." "Hey, he still thinks of me as a real life comic book superhero." "Nice." Bunnie gestured. "Well. I believe we've overstayed our welcome. The mission goes on." Right again. Sub-Entry 187: "Gerson's Infalible Memory?": As we combed through Waterfall, each of us strategically lured its inhabitants in to be de-neuralized. One by one everyone regained their memories. WIth certain slants on them to leave Evil-Chara out of it as well as anything that could muck the timeline up. In addition we made sure any timepieces or devices around as well as the Underland network (thanks to Alphys) was re-timestamped and everyone's encoutners with us, in memory, stacked up progressively. To better explain it. everyone here would believe we hadn't arrived in Hotland, yet. As I explained before, they would all blend seemlessly, to give us accountability and alibis. More signs gave more for the others to ponder. Since they were reading them in reverse order, I could only imagine how each of them was reassembling the whole story and such in their heads. Since I already knew them back and forth, I could explain if they had questions. We combed our way through the winding path, encountering a few stray temmies, some of the other "You know for a place called Waterfall, I haven't really seen many waterfalls around here." Violet complained. "They're closer to the entrance. We're coming in from the other direction. Also...we're kinda on the lower levels." "Dualy noted." Bunnie pondered. "We'll have to fly up to the point you spoke of to progress, won't we?" "Yeah." I'd explained the large section of pier that Undyne eventually slices through, sending Frisk into the garbage dump. It was in this general viscinity, somewhere, where Alphys did her pondering. It would have had to have been a large waterfall overlooking a pretty steep drop. "Wait...garbage dump?" Mitzi wrinkled her nose. "Just prepare yourself for it." I shook my head. In all honesty, we hadn't covered much of Waterfall, yet. In fact most of our encounters with key monsters on the list would be in the same general area. Gerson. The Blooks...well...just Napstablook now that Hapstablook...er...Mettaton had moved out to follow his dreams. It also occured to me we'd hit Undyne's house in that place, too. It was right next to the Blook Houses, in fact. Hmm... "I sense a presence up ahead." "Is it Evil Chara?" "No...definitely monster. Defeinite presence of great wisdom--" "Oh right! Gerson's place is practically a stone's throw from the "Pathetic House". Which means we'll end up visiting there, first." Bunnie slow-smiled. "Excellent." What was it about Bunnie that gravitated her toward the elderly? Was her quest for wisdom and bridging (no pun intended) the generation gaps that dedicated? And sure enough we finally came to the cavern entrance. "Well. Here it is. Don't expect to much, okay?" "We're going to drop in on an old dude. My expectations are already low." Violet retorted before being thwapped with the tessan fan. "Oww!" "Eh. It's casual." "Just think of all the things he could tell us about the underground! Of the past! Ohh, it's reminding me of our Grandparents show back in my Showbiz Pizza Place days." Mitzi smiled. "Oh yes...when you were talking about Mimmie, Jo, and Pappa?" Violet pointed out. "Still fangirling over my days past. Really, Vi. It's flattering and sometimes a little creepy." "No, Creepy was Fatz' grandpa. You know. Muzz and Creepy." "I remember, Vi." "Oh brother..." I muttered, readying the tube with Gerson's memory. I was being dismissive, but also covering the fact that I didn't even know my grandparents. I was barely old enough to remember having biological parents in my village at the time. Bunnie and Sally looked at each other with kinda strange looks. I bet they both had their own stories about their grandparents. "Well. Here we are. We going in or not?" So we entered and sure enough... "Woah there! I got some neat junk for sale!" Oh yeah...I neglected to mention he also ran a shop. Which reminded me...earlier I left very specific instructions to all of the members of my crew. Buy anything if you may...as long as it doesn't look like it belonged to human children. And I gave each a list of the things they had to avoid picking up. They would be for Frisk to acquire and decide what to do with. Sure enough Violet abided by my rules...seemed like it was a first. But I guess she figured out the reasons why. "Greetings, kind sir. We are travellers--" "Eh? Speak up, missy. These old ears ain't what they used to be. Then again, I can't remember if I even have ears! Wa ha ha ha ha!" ...uhhh, you said something about seeking wisdom and guidance from this guy, Bunnie? Violet haggled with him to keep his attention focused. "What are you lookin' for?" That's it, Vi. Keep him distracted while I take care of the rest. I slid the tube into the socket and readied the neuralizer. "Careful with that!" My gaze sharpened as his one bug eye, one squinty eye gaze stayed on Violet. "Ha! I'm trying to get RID of my junk, not get more of it! Though I've heard if you want to sell stuff, Temmie Village is your best bet." You don't say. "Where is it? ...I don't remember. And for the last time, I'm not taking it." Violet's never going to get rid of that copy of Joe Dirt that Al Dente got her on DVD that one year. It was one thing if no one wanted it on our world. But when no one wanted it in the Underground, INCLUDING the Temmies, THAT'S saying something. My reasoning? The cover picture was just not cute to the Temmies. It didn't take much to drive them away. All it took was a little flexing the muscles and well...that's not cute. The end. I lined up my shot and lowered my shades as did the rest of my crew. Violet had polarized contact lenses in which also contained embeded LED lattice display meshweaves. Basically it was like having computer screens on her corneas. Bluetooth enabled, too. "And here we--" "Sonny, I wouldn't bother with that newfangled gadget of yours. I remember you just fine, my lad." Wait. What? "Uhh...!" "Wa ha ha ha! You didn't think a flashy doo-dad was going to make ole' Gerson forget what REALLY went on in these parts did ya?" I...did not see this scenario coming. It's...impossible. Improbable. M.i.B. neuralizers were foolproof. Why was--" "I haven't lived all this time just to be an indolant has-been. As the former Hammer of Justice, my fightin' days may be dust in the wind, but I'm sure not! Wa ha ha ha ha!" Uhh...morbid. But true. "Come now, lad. You didn't think I'd let something like a RESET let ole Gerson forget you, Volt Arcade." G-A-S-P, gasp. Like GASP. For real. This was as dramatic a reveal as it got. I thought...only Flowey and Sans had that level of awareness. "Don't look so surprised, youngin'. You think I haven't watched and learned all this time? Young whipper-snappers think we old folks can't handle the truth. But sometimes we're the ones guarding the truth. Am I right?" This was a curveball. But I couldn't tell if it came from Madam Fate or Lady Destiny. What was the angle on this? "And you weren't thinking about replacing my memories with counterfeits; thinking you could just insert your friends while taking out that pesky human that made quite a mess in the castle." This is big. Real big. Sally and Violet looked at each other. "Oh calm your whiskers, Volt, my boy. No secrets are leaving these old timer's lips. Besides knowing how important this info is, I also know how dangerous it is to the wrong people. Why, something like this could send the whole kingdom into a panic. It'd be worse than the war between Humans and Monsters." "You fought in that war." "Well, I didn't get the title of Hammer of Justice for no reason now, missy! Wa ha ha ha ha." How as his memory this infallable? Yet, he said he couldn't remember where Temmie Village was. I wondered...was he a master BS-er like Violet? Was he just...playing with our heads for his own amusement. Whatever the case...Violet was eating it up. "Anything else you want to know?" It was pointless to have a cover story by this point. Somehow he saw through each of us. "If I may..." Bunnie knelt down in her samurai kneeling position and covered her knees with her hands. She then proceeded to ask her questions. Most of which were to review what I had mentioned before about him. The Emblem, the Emblem's Meaning, the Prophecy. Yeah...everything from top to bottom. "...Legend has it, an 'angel' who has seen the surface will descend from above and bring us freedom. Lately, the people have been taking a bleaker outlook... Callin' that circle the 'Angel of Death.' A harbinger of destruction, waitin' to 'free' us from this mortal realm... In my opinion, when I see that little circle... I jus' think it looks neat! Wahaha!" "Deep." "Unnerving." "Oooh." "Reassuring to see you youngsters still have an attention span. You know, I hear in parts of Hotland, some of them can't go five seconds without staring at the screens of those newfangled phone thingies." Cell phones? Yeah. Alphys was guilty of that. But then again, so was Violet. And...a lot of people back home. As the conversation rolled on, I was surprised that Gerson didn't have any questions for us...let alone ask who the rest of us were. I was still in shock that he was somehow immune to the reset....wait...that meant he still remembered things from UTPR-3224? This could be invaluable at some point in the future. "This dude is mega-binary." "Eh? What about a winery? You sure you're old enough to be drinking, lil lady?" "Oh this is just gravy..." Violet mused. It was weird seeing Bunnie and Violet take an interest in Gerson. Not so weird that was for comnpletely opposite reasons. As the meeting continued... "...eh? Talking flower? I'm sure I'd remember something like that. But then again I can't remember what I had for breakfast this morning! Wa ha ha ha ha! I rubbed my temples. "Of course...if there were such thing it probably needs a good disciplining. Yes-sir-ee. A bop on the head with a good pot. One might even say, it would definitely be crowned." Wait. Did he know? "My my...I must be getting rusty in my old age. Did puns stop being funny? This new age culture. So full of angst and over-emotion. I guess you'd call it--" "Don't say emo. Don't say emo." I muttered. "...actually, I don't know what I'd call it. But you know...in my days as a boy, grown-ups thought we were pretty strange and going down a dangerous path." Was that...a Papyrus quote hidden in there? He didn't just know what was said in Pacifist timelines, did he? Or...maybe he was just channeling it by coincidence. I'd once heard Hank Venture described as one to randomly say expressions that hadn't been used since the 1940's. Weird. "Good luck to you and your colorful group of friends, Volt, my boy. You're going to need it. Or maybe you won't. Whatever happens, I'm sure it'll really whoop my bells off! We'll all be having a bully time! Wa ha ha ha ha! Speaking of slang that hadn't been used since the early 20th century. "Well. It was wonderful for you to share your wisdom, Gerson-sama. "Eh? What about samba? These new-age dances of yours. By gum, I had a hard time keeping up with the new craze of that jazz thing." Jazz? New? Oh boy. Even at that point in the 20th century, Gerson must've still been an antique to that era. I couldn't discern just HOW out of date his pop culture must've been. At this point I was starting to wonder if I should be checking in the iron age or the bronze age. You know I never established how long ago monsters were sealed away. It could be any point in mankind's history. ANd it was probably changing with each RESET, TRUE RESET, and ERASE. I mean...was the child of the Justice soul dressed as a cowboy...or was he an ACTUAL cowboy? "By the way, if you head back to New Home again, keep King Fluffybuns out of trouble, will you? He's a good boy but darned if he can't name things for beans! Wa ha ha ha ha ha!" "So. Onward?" Sally asked, having crossed her arms. She was starting to tap her foot...just like Sonic. "Youngin's these days! Always in a hurry to get somewhere!" Yup. Gerson was hitting all the "old geezer" tropes. All he needed to do next was tell us to get off his lawn and turn that damn music down and he'd have pretty much all of them. Professor Farnsworth be...er...proud? "Yeah, I'm starting to think that's a good idea." "One thing's for sure...this was very informative. We're going to have to be on the lookout, now. There may be other monsters who might be channeling their old memories....or memories of the old timelnes." "Hmmmm..." Bunnie rubbed her chin. "So. I hear there's this ghost that's got a think for DJ-ing?" That was a cue from Sally that said plenty. And with that we left Gerson's place. "Be careful out there, kids!" KIds? At OUR age? I mean...yeah, relative to him...but...it's still degrading and embarassing. "Don't you worry none! I'll keep my mouth shut about all this hullabaloo! Who'd even believe me? At my age, most everyone thinks I've gone senile! Can you believe that? Wa ha ha ha ha!" Riiiiiiight. As we left, I think I could hear the faint sound of Shyren singing. "HEY! You whippersnappers turn down that music! I can't hear myself think!" I slow turned to Violet who was grinning like a loon. "Don't. Say it." "I don't know what you're talking about." She said with a cheesey shrug. "Let's just go." Bunnie chimed in. Sub-Entry 188: "Uplifting Beats at the Pathetic House": I was getting worried. If I had to make a list of who all was now in on the secrets behind the veil of the Underground, there would be too many variables to keep this timeline on course to the happy ending I envisioned. Out of everyone, Alphys, Mettaton, Gerson, Flowey, and Sans all knew that there was more to this world than was apparent. All five of them knew we weren't of this world by now. At least everyone but Sans. I hadn't restored his memories yet and I was hesitant to. Yet, I was STILL worried that this could be an act and he was just waiting to call me out on it all. The bottom line was, I didn't know if I could trust Sans. Not after the first timeline. And certainly not after this one. I really wanted him to be an ally, yet he insisted on being difficult. Between the brat and the weed and everything else that must've gone on in his life, his cynicism toward the world was an all-time high. Papyrus was the only person I could, without a doubt, confirm he genuinely cared about. How he so casually broke his promise in front of Toriel hammered that home. I guess in our AU, the two of then just had a lot in common...but nothing more. It wasn't like there was a shortage of other alternate universes where the two of them were shipped together. Callista and Bunnie were reluctant to share what they had witnessed when diving Sans' memory collective from the Neurolizer. Of them, Flowey and Sans knew the true nature of this world. Alphys was the only one who knew the unabridged truth about everything including everything I entrusted. I hadn't even told Mettaton about the Prince and everything related; just that there was a world beyond this one he would get to see some day. "This has gotten even more complicated." I lamented. "Don't lose sight of the goal. It's easy to be distracted by the unknowns, but I do not think we have to worry about Gerson." Bunnie assured. Gerson did give us his word to keep silent about it all as did Alphys. Plus Alphys convinced Mettaton to not spill the beans. As a celebrity, if he revealed anything, it would become an avalanche of people who'd pay attention and get hyped over hope they were not ready for. This was something that had to be revealed after they were already free and living on the surface. Too much hope could turn to false hope at a heartbeat. When they were adjusted to the surface and could handle the disappointment of something going wrong, that's when the truth could come out. "Yeah. For now let's visit some ghost houses!" Sally seemed pumped for this. Muffet had satisfied her adrenaline rush. Now it time for her to chill, I guess. I had a feeling she and Violet would enjoy Napstablook's company...but I'd have to get it through Violet's skull to TRY to behave. "You've had a lot of experiences with ghosts, big brother. Is Mr. Napstablook much different than any of them?" "I'd say so. He's almost like...a stereotype when you see him; just a floating sheet with eyeholes and mouth...who just happens to be wearing headphones. (Not sure how they stay on or how they can be incorporeal. Maybe they're just an extension of his being like the dapper hat?) But most of all, he's incredibly shy and self-conscious about offending people or giving the wrong impression. A dour introvert with low self-esteem (sounds a bit familiar...). So please don't upset him and don't let him think you're upset. And yes, before I forget, this monster doesn't have a sense of humor. So no being...well..you, Violet." "Don't worry, big bro! We'll be on our best behavior." "That's my little sister." I smiled. "So...ghost sandwiches?" Violet prodded. "Stop peaking into my research logs, Violet!" I snapped. It wasn't a very far walk to the houses of the Blook cousins. A pair of droopy houses; a blue one leaning to the left, a red one leaning to the right. Seeing as how Hapstablook/Mettaton was occupied with his own life...plus I had no idea where he dropped the key...the house of Napstablook was the only option for now. I mean, I COULD phase out of space and time with my Bracer and just unlock it from the inside but...that wasn't the mission right now. Besides, I wasn't up to peeking at the collection of diaries...again. Besides, at this point in the game it would jsut be plain rude! Right? I knocked on the door, charged the neorolizer, and waited. Sure enoughthe chalky white form of Napstblook started to fade into existence, and I let her rip. "!!!!!!" Please don't let the flast scare him away. Please don't let the flash scare him away. Please don't let the flash scare him away...etc... I quickly stowed the device in the time it took for Napstablook's vision to come back. "oh. hi. we've met before...in the RUINS. i usually come to the RUINS because there's nobody around... but today i met somebody nice...." The soft way he...she...um...they spoke made me thing that if it were converted to text, I wouldn't find any capitalization. Weirdly enough...I got that same vibe around Sans, sometimes; even though I dictated his words into my research logs with normal grammer rules. "Hello, Napstablook." I gave my most pleasant of smiles. "you are welcome to come in. or not if you don't want to." "Don't mind if we do--" Violet started to enter, before Bunnie yanked her back. "Manners, Miss Violet." Gadget reminded. I had the psychics deliberately leave the others out of Napstablook's memories. I wanted him to meet them for the first time and have that memory be geniune rather than incepted. "My friends finally caught up to me. I hope you don't mind a lot of company. I wouldn't want to do anything to make you uncomfortable." There was a lengthy pause before Napstablook replied. I could tell our large group was intimidating. "it is no bother. come in." Napstablook phased through the door...then a moment later it opened for us and we went in, one by one. "...so sorry I broke up the fun before." "Before?" Oh! The ghost was referring to Frisk's experience with Mad Dummy. Did they think we were both travelling together? Huh. "Don't worry about it. Seemed like Mad Dummy wasn't haven't much fun anyway, so...no harm, no foul. Right?" I got to work introducing. "Everyone, please introduce yourselves." Okay, so I let each of them handle it. No hand-holding, save for Toriel leading the way for the fallen children, am I right? "Bunnie Rabbotou. Second in command of the Commander's team." A formal bow. "Violet Usako Tokugawa, third in command and so cute I should be banned." I sighed and rubbed my temples. I wanted to tell Napstablook that this was the same Violet who got him that funky music I brought him...but I already had too many people aware of timelines to risk it. "Mitzi Mozzrella. I do things with light and I cook." "Gadget T. Hackwrench. Volt isn't just our leader, he's my big brother, too!" She giggled. "Nice to meet you, Napstablook! I hope we can be friends!" I think I saw Blooky blush. "oh! that would be nice. i thought I'd go through this day with only one new friend. but now I have so many." "And I'm Sally Acorn. Speedster and music D.J." That got Blooky's attention. "i...dabble a little in music...maybe you could take a listen to some of my demos..." Sure enought, four CD's laying out. THe last one being Violet's burned disc of "Graveyard Theory". "Sounds good to me. Let's see what you got." The way Sally put that, I really hope we weren't about to be put on an interdimensional reality show...or things would probably get...schwifty. So while Sally occupied herself with the music, Violet couldn't resist peaking into Blooky's computer. "NAPSTABLOOK22?" She shrugged and did a little snooping. Her expression told me she didn't find anything of value let alone anything juicy to amuse herself with. If anything I think it actually depressed her into behaving. "if you're hungry there's sandwhiches in the fridge." "That's nice of you to offer." MItzi smiled as Napstabloo opened the fridge and got out a sandwich. They offered it to Mitzi who tried to grab hold but... "...ohhhhh nooooo..." Blooky looked dismally as it fell through her hand and then dropped through the floor. "Uh..I...appreciate the hospitality! It's the thought that counts! Really!" Master of padding the blows. No one could handle a situation as gingerly as Mitzi. "You seem like you're doing well, since I last saw you. You holding up okay?" "...i manage. ghosts don't need to do much to take care of ourselves." Well, that's true. They're already dead so...what more did they need to do besides...exist? "after a meal, i like to lie on the floor and feel like garbage. it's a family tradition." "Feel like garbage?" Mitzi looked a little shocked at that. I gestured to stay silent about it. "I guess we could all use a little rest! It'll be kinda like kindergarten!" Gadget lay down and closed her eyes with a big smile on her face. I shrugged and joined. Bunnie raised an eyebrow but didn't argue. All of us except Sally, who had her head in the tunes joined in. About 20 seconds in, that's when things got...spacey. "Whoaaaaah...I'm trippin' on something funky." Violet joked. "Vi." I warned. "Very...enlightening. It is as though I am one with the cosmos." "Is this real?" Mitzi whispered. As real as we made it, Mitzi. "I like feeling like garbage!" Coming from Gadget, that was so wrong...and yet somehow soooo cute. After our...um...moment of zen was up. "...so...is my music okay...?" "Hmm...I like what you've got!" Sally said with a wink and a thumbs up. I about wiped my brough from the anticipation...before I remembered I don't sweat when morphed. "One good beat deserves another, though." Sally quickly got out one of her own demo discs. Oh boy. I really should have seen this coming. And before long Sally had filled the room with one of her lately music experiments. "Dance party!" Gadget got to grooving. "oooh! i rather like this. it has a nice beat." "That's our Sally." I gave a wink and a thumbs-up. Dance party, eh? Well, why not? We spent our time getting our groove on. Outside, however... "Oh man! Just when I thought it couldn't get any creepier!" Aaron, the literal sea-horse, stopped in mid flexing regimen. "So...dirty..." Woshua complained. "There's no way it could get worse, man! Those fresh beats! That syncopated rhythem! That ain't normal, man!" Shyren floated past them, starting to sing to the music. A momentary pause...then both went screaming and retreating. Everybody's a music critic. If I could properly convey blowing a raspberry right here, I'd include it in this research log. But then again, it's already highly irregular as it is. Let's not make it any more unprofessional. Eventually we wrapped up our little party and bit farewell to Napstablook. "...goodbye...come back again soon..." "We will!" Gadget said before smooching the ghost on the cheek. "ohh!" There's that blushing again. Well, there you have it. Would Gadget smooch a ghost? HECK, YEAH! Sub-Entry 189: "Undyne Upload": You can warn and prepare your crew for just about anything. And yet, somehow it still wouldn't prepare them for the unexpected. I'd warned ahead of time that since Frisk hadn't gone through the scenarios, now that we were resetting and reinitializing the game, that Undyne would be in full-tilt Royal Guard Captain mode. And anyone colluding or conversing with the "enemy" would be her enemy. Of course she she wouldn't remember seeing any of us around Frisk after the neuralization, there shouldn't be anything to worry about, right? "This must be the place." Bunnie observed. "The training dummy, I presume?" "Yup." I'd noticed how beaten up it was. Oh yeah. Undyne showed no mercy. Not even to a training dummy. "Scary place." Gadget looked at the fish-shaped house with the dragonish tail curled around the right side. She stared at the piranha-toothed door like a deer in headlights. Then she immediately hid behind me. Even as a late teenager, bordering on college girl, Gadget still retained mannerisms of being a scared little child at times. Or maybe I was just that good at being a comforting life anchor as her big brother. But really...I'd have to ween her off of that dependancy some day. I mean...if Asriel could do it, then so could she. "Heh." Sally smirked with arms folded. Violet wandered over to the training dummy. "Huh..yeah..." She gave it a gentle shove, like it was a punch-balloon clown. "Yeah, yeeeeeeeeeeeee-aaaah!" She crooned as she continued to almost paw at it, causing it to rock gently back and forth. "Goddammit, Vi." Yup. It was THAT scene from TMNT 2: Secret of the Ooze. And she was being her most Donatallo at that moment. Sally just shrugged, closing her eyes and shaking her head...kinda like I'd seen Hyperdeath do. Oh. There's the wink. That kinda gave me an unnecessary chill. "You done, Violet?" Bunnie lowered an eyebrow. "I've had my fun. " By this point her antics, despite being annoying, put my mind at ease. So my guard was down as I reached for the door to knock-- "Commander!" I heard Sally's voice ring out moments before I heard a metallic impact...and felt the shockwave of two forces colliding accompanied by a "NGAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAH!!!" The next thing I saw was Sally, Tengu Suit fully deployed, guarding with her gear's arm guard against the metal studded gauntlet of Undyne's royal guard armor. The visor was down but I could see the glow of her one eye piercing out. "Ohh sh--!" "Get down." Bunnie dashed by, grabbing me as Undyne's spear thrust out. Crap, crap, crap, crap! I knew I should have prepared better for this. Without her memories of me and the others, she WOULD come to the conclusion we were enemies trying to infiltrate her residence. "LOW-LIFE SCUM! THINKING YOU CAN TAKE THE CAPTAIN OF THE ROYAL GUARD BY SUPRISE! WHAT COWARDS! SNEAK-ATTACKING ME INSTEAD OF FACING ME HEADON?! PEOPLE LIKE YOU REALLY PISS ME OFF!" Okay. She was in a mood. "Heh...you're pretty strong!" Sally mused. "SAVE IT, PUNK! THE ONLY THING I WANT TO HEAR IS YOUR CRIES OF PAIN BEFORE I BEAT YOU TO A PULP AND HAUL YOU OFF TO THE DUNGEON!" "Nah. I'm not really a crier. If I sweated every boo-boo I got, I'd still be a rookie eating dust without ever seeing a checkered flag. Frankly this could be the best workout I've gotten in a looong time." Sally countered the strike and unleashed a Spiral Cylinder wind tunnel around herself to cause separation. "YOUR MAGIC IS NO MATCH FOR MY MIGHT! I AM THE SPEAR OF JUSTICE AND I'LL SEE YOU BROUGHT DOWN THIS DAY!" Undyne drew her finger across her neck. "Oh boy, Major. This is going to get ugly. Maybe we should--" "No. Sally has this." "But, Bunnie...her weapons could--" "She knows what she's doing." "DON'T GET ALL SENTIMENTAL WITH THAT ONE-ON-ONE CRAP! I'LL TAKE ALL OF YOU ON!!!" "Wellllll, since you asked so nicely..." Violet gave her own spear a spin. "Mind if I tag in, Sal?" "Heh. Someone's been a little too bored lately." "Combat is a good alleviation!" Violet traded places with Sally and clashed spears with Undyne. Blocking, guarding, thrusting, perrying, dodging, and spinning like a boss, Violet's skills actually took ME be surprise. I didn't think she had been doing anything lately other than goofing off and trolling people. "It is a pleasant surprise that Violet's been keeping up in her training." "I'm just relieved she's not using her jet pack. Don't want to risk questions." "WHEN I SAID ALL OF YOU, I MEANT ALL OF YOU!" "Hey! Whoah!" Mitzi jumped back, forging the Green Tonfas. Gadget yelped and scurried toward me. She clutched me and buried her face in my chest while trembling. "I'm scared!" Great. How am I supposed to protect my little sister and fight back against this diesel demoisselle? I picked up Gadget in my arms and jumped backwards as the spear threated to slice us. "This is not going the way I thought it would...and yet it's going exactly the way I probably SHOULD have thought it would." Gadget clutched tighter, sobbing. When I said she was timid, I wasn't kidding. "GRRRR...I HAVE NO TIME TO WASTE ON WIMPY LOSERS!" Huh. Didn't she desribe Asgore in the same context once? "Don't take your eyes off the finish line, or you'll BE finished!" Sally taunted as one of her wind-enfused boomerangs curved around in front of Undyne, darn near clipping her before returning to her hand. "DON'T TELL ME HOW TO FIGHT, PUNK!" Bunnie sighed. "地球に落ちる、星の雨。 (Fall the Earth, Star Rain). Her Zanpakutou was out. "GOT YOU NOW, PUNK!" Sally suddenly sidestepped. The next thing Undyne knew her spear had gone flying out of her hand and embedded in the ground next to the training dummy. "This battle ends now." Bunnie said dryly. "WHAT THE HECK'S UP WITH YOU? YOU THINK YOU'RE SOME KIND OF ANIME GIRL, LONG EARS?" Bunnie stood tall, quiet, and stoic. Then reached out and beckoned Undyne forth with a taunt right out of the Matrix. "OH IT'S ON!" And then came the spear barrage. Bunnie effortlessy deflected each and every one of them, standing her ground. "Whoah." Even Sally was impressed. "Go, sensei." "I'm going to set you down now, Gadget. stay still and don't get involved." "Yes, big brother." Gadget sniffled. Okay, Bunnie...that's it...keep her focused on one target... I loaded the memory tube into the USB socket. The green liquid lit up to a seemingly nuclear glow. "I can't do it with her visor down, though...the reflection on the metal could cause a backlash. Don't need our memories corrupted." "Leave it to teamwork." Sally mused before going supersonic. "WHAT THE--" Undyne gasped as the laser contrail coiled around her a few times. "STAND STILL!" She demanded as Violet played leap-frog off of her armored shoulders. "And one more for the road." Mitzi dove in a slide-tackle between Undyne's legs as her attack missed. Undyne wasn't ready as Bunnie shinobil dashed. For a brief moment the were both seemingly frozen in time for a classic pose--their profiles passing by each other...I'd seen something similar depicted in Sonic Adventure 2 Battle in Violet's simulator. When Bunnie landed, she had something in her grasp...Undyne's entire helmet. She managed to pull it completely off that quickly? "YOOOOU!!!!!!!" Undyne roared. She turned her head to the side and that was when I saw the glint in her lone eye. "I'M GOING TO SPREAD YOUR DUST FROM HERE TO SNOWDIN--" Was all she got out before I dropped in front of her from my electromorph arc, lowered my shades, and let the flash do the rest. "GAAAAAAAAAAAAH!!!" Undyne clutched her eye. Was the flash stronger than I thought? Would it even work on someone with one eye? I was suddenly grabbed as I solidified. "Whoah!" "C'MERE YOU!" Oh boy. This was badly thought-out. "WHAT DID I TELL YOU..." I was pulled into a headlock. "Big brother!" Gadget cried. "Hey! Black Flag on the track!" "Commander!" Mitzi gasped. But Bunnie held her back. "...ABOUT NO PICTURES, YOU BIG GOOF! WHAT ARE YOU TRYING TO BLIND ME?! YA STINKIN' FURBALL!" ... I blinked as I was noogied. Oww. Watch those studded gauntlets, Undyne. "You, freakin' geek! How the Hell ya' been?!" SHe was...grinning a happy grin? "FUHUHUHUHUHUH!" "It's good to see you, Volt!" That was a relief. "And hey, you brought your crew of anime friends too! Man, now I really want to spar with you guys." She didn't even remember she about clobbered us? Should I be overjoyed or terrified? The memory patch must've put her just after our battle with Not-Frisk. Which meant she didn't know we'd already met Alphys. "Where are my stinkin' manners! Come on in. Take a load off and get some refreshements in you. And jeeze, aren't you going to introduce me to the new faces?" The fang-doors opened. With hospitality like this, who could turn her down? Eheheheheh...ugggghll. "W-watch the ribs!" I whined as she gave me a friendly one-armed squeeze. With friends like her, who needed enemies. Once inside, Undyne went to her bedroom, then came out unarmored. Yup. That black tee. The jeans. The boots. She was wearing so much of her hair into a ponytail, it made her look almost completely bald. But I'd seen her in the Garbage dump in her alternate clothes, and much more of her hair was let down; to the point of having most of it in front draped over her left eye. "So, braniac. You finish exploring Waterfall or what?" "We're...combing back through, trying to cover our bases; make sure our checklist is done before we head to Hotland." "Ugghgh. Hotland SUUUUUCKS. I do not envy you for having to head to that hot place, Sparkster." "Eheheh...yeah." I brushed it off. "So...yeah. You've met Bunnie. Second in command of my little team." Bunnie leaded up against the wall, arms crossed, and head bowed...kinda like Goemon Ishikawa of Lupin III's group. The samurai similarities were uncommon sometimes. She nodded witha soft grunt. "Violet, my...third in command." "Hey ya, fish lady. Love the wee-pon." Violet drew upon her inner Bugs Bunny, deliberately mispronouncing the word, weapon as she pointed a thumb at the sword on the wall. "Heck yeah! That was a Hell of a find in the Garbage Dump. When I think about what kind of badass swords they got on the surface, I just wanna go on a passionate rampage and shout out to the heavens how awesome it's gonna be! FUHUHUHUHUHUH!" "Mitzi. Chef, singing, martial arts student." "Oh yeah! That awesome anime fighting stuff! Man, you're a triple threat. I beat you have to beat the guys off of you to keep them at bay! With REAL BEATINGS!" "Eh...well, I did kick my ex-boyfriend below the belt for cheating on me." "FUHUHUHUH! Serves him right! What a filthy rat, right?" "You have NO idea..." Mitzi looked off to the side. "Sally, my terrain master and probably the boldest and bravest person I've ever known." "Whassup, Undyne?" "You know, crackin' the whip and keeping the Royal Guard in line. Somebody's gotta make sure ole' fluffy buns is well defended!" "Nice." "And my little adopted sister, Gadget. It's okay, sis. She won't bite (anymore)." Gadget looked up at her, quivering. "You're just a little, fluffy marshmallow, aren't ya?" "...mnn..." "Ah, I get it. Not everyone can be a fighter like the Spear of Justice! FUHUHUHUH! I know a big-hearted wimp back in Snowdin. Don't get me wrong, he's strong...it's just that he doesn't have what it takes to be a Royal Guard. But I just can't bring myself to tell him how that big heart of his could get his bone head killed." Gadget sort of nodded. I think she understood but I also knew she was still intimidated by the fish lady's presence. "So. Any sign of humans?" "I was going to ask you the same. I mean, chances are you would have found one before we did. They'd have to have come from Snowdin Town, right?" "Oh yeah...that does make more sense." Still not the sharpest tool in the shed but she wasn't an idiot, either. Violet couldn't resist tickling the ivories of Undyne's piano. "HEY! What is wrong with you?!" Undyne stormed up to Violet. "...?" "Like THIS!" Undyne shoved her over and proceeded to play the piano. "Ohhhhhh." Violet pretended to be enlightened by the experience. "Oh brother..." Mitzi rolled her eyes. "What can you do?" Sally shrugged. "...and then you end on a pretty note like this." Undyne finished her rather...rough performance with a genuinely gentle chord. Guess she COULD be dainty when she wanted to be. "Oh! Right! The refreshements. Just point to what you want and I'll get it." Mitzi started to get up to make her selection before the spear thunked down and broke the table in half. "I SAID I'D GET IT!" It wasn't that Undyne was a bad host...it was more like she was...too forceful of one. "...okay then." Mitzi backed away from the broken table. Honestly, Undyne must go through furnature in bulk. "Uh...golden flower tea if you have it?" I chimed in. "That sounds good." Sally agreed. "Yeah, I could try that." Violet shrugged. "Mmm-hmm." Gadget nodded. And so it was prepared and served all around. It was good tea. Strange that Golden Flower could make a delicious tea...but buttercups were quite poisonous. Two different yellow flowers, two opposite levels of toxicity. For a while we sat and conversed, sharing our...experiences as we'd doctored them. I'd rehearsed the mach-up conversations with my crew before we even headed to the Underground in the Time Train. We covered our bases well. Naturally Undyne wanted to know more about the surface world. I mean..who didn't in this place? I set very strict guidelines for everyone...even stricter ones for Violet...as to what they could reveal about "the surface"; drawing upon truths crafted from our own lives in Miranda City...but molded to fit this world based on what limited info I had of the True Pacifist Ending. It was enough to whet her appetite for what was to come. We skillfully avoided talking about the humans when we could. What little we said only confirmed what Undyne already suspected. But I decided to let her hold onto the majority of her misconceptions. Frisk would set her straight, when the time came. Before long, our time was up and we had to leave. "Don't be a stranger, you bunch of nerds! I'm countin' on you to get us up to speed on the surface!" "You said the magic word." Sally mused. "Fast is what I do." "Riiiight." Violet mused. "You're one to talk, Vi." Mitzi cautioned Vi about keeping egos in check. "Anyway, when you run into Alphys, say hi for me! She seems like she could use the company. When we first met she seemed...kinda...down." Undyne's mood had shifted from tomboyish to kinda worried. "I mean...I don't want to jump to conclusions but...if I hadn't found her when I did..." Awkward silence. "Ahhh, what am I getting all bent out of shape for? She's the Royal Scientist! That big nerd brain of hers would never let her do something that stupid! She's got a lot to live for! Besides, who else is going to hook me up with more anime? FUHUHUHUHUHUH!" "And what's life without anime?" Violet said with a mischievous grin. "I KNOW, RIGHT?!?" Hook, line and sinker. Damn, Violet. You really won her over, didn't you? "Goodbye, Miss Undyne! We'll miss you!" Gadget finally warmed up to her. "Get outta here, ya goobers! You got work to do, ya know!" That fang-y grin. Reassuring and disturbing at the same time. Maybe I just didn't have good experiences with pirhanna. "So...now what?" "We've barely covered the Waterfall but we've met all the major people around here." "I guess that means we tour the rest of Waterfall until we hit the entrance to Snowdin Town?" "Simple enough plan, Mitzi. I give my stamp of approval." Sally said, before stomping her foot. Gadget giggled. "Nice pun, Miss Sally." "I thought you'd appreciate it." Sally crossed her arms with a grin and a wink. "C'mon. We're holding up the--" I stopped short. "...line?" Standing before us was none other than... Sub-Entry 190: "Fanboy-ing with Monster Kid": Before anything was said... *FLASH* I quickly stowed the device. The memory restoration went flawlessly. Yet...it escaped my attention that we were still standing in front of Undyne's house. And from how we were all in the process of leaving... "DUUUUUDE! You got invited into Undyne's house?! THE Undyne! SO COOL! SO COOL! SO COOL!" Monster Kid. You know...we could use a tour guide or at least someone we could allow to be our designated follow-the-leader leader for a while. "Uh, hey there!" Gadget walked over. "I'm Gadget! Who are you?" "Monster Kid! Some call me M.K. for short. Hahahah. Don't tell my parents I'm way out here!" You know...I never established where Monster Kid's actual home was. Nor had I ever met his parents. "Cute kid." Sally mumbled to me. I smiled. It was nice that I could relax again after the tense confrontation with Undyne followed by hospitality that was only slightly gentler than the Fat Boys in the movie, Disorderlies. Somehow if I brought that up, Violet would find a way to drop a reference, like "Baby, you're a fish fan...and you're a fish fan, too." when describing Monster Kid. ...dammit, Volt. "I'm on my way to Snowdin Town. Yo! You wanna come with me! I'm an awesome guide!" Lady Destiny...you're reading my mind again. "Sure. We could use a good guide." "Wow! Gee thanks, Mister! Wow, I can't believe you fought Undyne AND got invited to her house in one day!" Yup. The memories were holding. I didn't have to worry. So. We traveled together and saw the sights. Buuuuut that wasn't our only experience... "Pyeeeeew! Something smells bad up ahead, brother!" "Yup. That'd be the Garbage Dump." "Screw that noise." Violet took off in the opposite direction. "Violet! Where are you going! That leads to a dead end--" Then I remembered. She had maps of the Underground she made from my research. And what was it I remembered was at that dead end? "Yo, bird! Can I get a ride across the way?" And like that she had a ride over a disproportionately small gap. "Goddammit, Vi..." I groaned at her taking a shortcut. I'd find out later, that she dropped in on Nice Cream Guy and after a bit of flirting and banter, she got us all Nice Creams...so...I guess that makes up for her mischief? I shouldn't let us be bribed so easily. As for us... "FAILURES! FAILURES ALL OF YOU!!!" Mad Dummy was already chewing out his Dummy Bots. Apparently he was readying a dress rehearsal for the next intruder that came into his lair. "Ahem." I half-coughed. "WHAT DO YOU--" I had my XBTOCLC'S out. Bunnie was aiming her cybermorphed arm cannon, Sally had the Tengu Suit in Gamma Mode with Lava Blades out, Gadget had both her makeshift freeze ray and heat beam pointed, and Mitzi was hefting the Green Gatling. "............." And off like a rocket he went. *click* "Oh my. It seems we forgot to reload our ammo." I mused, rather coy. The rest of us shrugged in response. "I didn't." Bunnie demorphed. "Eheheheh...sometimes I can never tell when you're bluffing or not, Major." "Neither can my enemies." As if that was something she really needed to mention. "Eheheh." "OOOOF!" Monster Kid caught up with us and tripped and fell. "Dude! Wait for me!" "We are." I mused as Sally tapped her foot. It was a short path the the patch of flowers. I looked up and up and up. "Hmm..." Washua was standing by and offered to clean us up. We accepted (ater a memory restore) and before long we were spic-and-span. "Dude. We can't get up there." "Sure we can." Sally fired up her burner jets. Gadget got out a makeshift hoverboard, Bunnie pointed her arm cannon down and fired Malestrom Vortex in reverse and shot herself up like a rocket, leaving me to use the Magnet Beams in succession after picking up and carrying M.K. "Whoah! That was cool!" He commented as we all landed on top of the pier above and continued our way. While each of us took turns distracting Monster Kid at key points, I'd handle restoring monster memories. We navigated the maze of boardwalks until we got back to that spot where Monster Kid normally had to serve as a platform for Frisk to climb up to the ledge above. Only this time it was a climb down. Monster Kid was already ahead of us and taking only a brief moment to admire the castle before hurrying on. Who had to wait for who, now? Violet was already waiting for us, occupying herself. "Commander." Mitzi pointed off into the distance. Castle Dreemurr. "So...that's where Asriel was born and raised." She observed. "Nice." "Eh. It's alright. I can see why he's so humble--" That earned Vi a thwapping. "Practice that for a change." Bunnie narrowed her eyes. "Nah. I don't think I will. It's just not me." "It was worth suggesting. Strongly suggesting." Bunnie shook her head. "So all those stars above us are just speckled rocks?" Sally asked. "Yeah." "No wonder why Asriel is so entranced by the stars." Bunnie mused. A ways later led us to the swimming area of one Onion-San. His dialogue hadn't changed at all. Frankly I wasn't that surprised that coming in from the other direction didn't have any effect. I wonder if that was just a property of our AU or if it wsa universal? We'd probably never know. "C'mon, Mister! I'm outrunning you all!" Most hyperactive kid on two legs. This led to the Ferry Dock and by extension the Wishing Room. It was only a small rest by the wall. The writing was still on the wall. And it was still a depressing story. "Oh, Commander..." Bunnie put a hand on my shoulder. "I'm...*sniffle*...not crying...just something in my eye." Sally just shook her head. As more and more of the story pieced together, despite going backward through it, my crew was getting a bigger and clearer picture of just what this world was all about. A bit more exploration led us to the Bell Blossom puzzles. I decided to stop at the bench with the Abandon Quiche. I let Mitzi examine in. "I wonder who baked it? And what did they mean they weren't ready for the responsibilty?" She shrugged. A few sniffs and a small taste. "Huh." "Well?" "I'm better off keeping it under my non-existent hat." A brief encounter with Aaron and we were on our way through the sea grass. "Seemed like only yesterday I was chasing Frisk through this." I muttered when I was sure Monster Kid wasnt't listening. Now granted he was doing a lot of chattering while we traveled, but if I listed everything he said, this log entry would go on near-endlessly. Finally, when it seemed like our journey wouldn't end..." "Here it is! The way to Snowdin Town! I'm going on ahead! My parents will probably be mad for staying out so late." Maybe they did live in Snowdin? I would have pegged him for a citizen of Hotland. "So...our journey came to and end and we got everyone restored, right?" "Right." I looked into the foggy haze of Snowdin Town that lay ahead. "Well. Time to go." I set down a Save Marker and Bunnie opened a gate back to the top of Mount Ebott. "What a marvelous place this is. Asriel is so lucky to have come from here." Gadget smiled. Yeah...lucky. Not so lucky that he was fated to meet his end here. It was strange though...Flowey had stayed away all this time. I wonder.... That was a pondering for anther time, I suppose. We loaded up into the Time Train and headed off. Chapter 20 Back To Part 2 Back to Project Lost Dreemurr Next